


Out of the Box

by roosterteethrambles



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: almost-smut ahead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 08:03:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16869208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roosterteethrambles/pseuds/roosterteethrambles
Summary: It's one thing to meet your idol. It's another for them to try and pick you up at a bar.





	Out of the Box

**Author's Note:**

> This was one of many fics that started out as a three-sentence prompt that ended up... Considerably more than three sentences.

It had been while you were in Austin for RTX. You’d gone to your favourite restaurant there with your friends the night before the whole convention. It was your turn to buy the whole table drinks. You were disgruntled about this until you saw none other than Miles Luna stood at the other side of the curved bar.

_ You try not to stare, he’s just having a chill night before the chaos of tomorrow, but you catch his eye when he looks over to you. Once you make eye contact, he bites his lower lip into a smirk and raises his eyebrows. He points to his beer bottle, then at you. You cock your head in confusion and point towards the list of cocktails you had been ordering from all night, then again at the bottle while shaking your head. Laughing, he shrugs his arms up, points to you and then mimics the act of drinking. He also adds a gesture to himself and rubs his fingers with his thumbs, silently asking,  _ **_What are you drinking? I’ll pay._ **

_ You wave him off, pointing behind you to where your table is. If you’d have looked where you were gesturing to, you’d have seen your friends desperately willing you to not care about them because  _ **_holy shit Miles Luna is offering to buy you a drink do not turn him down_ ** _. It hardly matters anyway, because Miles slinks away into the crowd. You sigh in defeat as you try harder to get the bartender’s attention, but someone else gets yours. You wonder who would be bent double tapping your arm but when they extend, you’re suddenly within inches of Miles. _

_ He smiles at you, leaning close to speak loudly to you, “Hi, I’m Miles!” _

_ You wonder whether or not to tell him that you know. If you do, you might scare him off immediately. If you don’t and then he finds out, he might think you’re assuming he’s trying to get with you and you didn’t think he’d date a fan or whatever. You settle with the honest route, “I know, I’m here for RTX!” before telling him your name. _

_ “Oh, sweet! Have you been before?” he asks. _

_ You nod. “I actually got to meet you last year! But that was at a signing, you’d have seen lots of people.” _

_ “Listen, my memory is so shockingly bad, you wouldn’t believe I’m still in my twenties! I forget the faces of people I work with sometimes,” Miles pulls a face. “So, who you got a signing with this year?” You tell him and he holds his hand to his chest. “I’m a little offended I’m not in your pickings this year.” _

_ “You got your turn last year! I gotta make room for the others!” you joke. _

_ “Well, if your time is that precious, I better savour tonight!” he grins. Your stomach and heart swoop at that and you completely don’t notice the person behind the bar finally get to you. Thankfully, Miles does. “Yo, barkeep! Whatever this lovely lady orders, on my tab.” _

_ You widen your eyes and shake your head. “Oh, no, I couldn’t let you!” _

_ The bartender interjects with an, “Is it the same as before? On your tab?” You nod and they make an ‘o’ gesture with their finger and thumb to you and a thumbs-up to Miles, who points to you and cackles. _

_ “Hahahaha, see! Even the staff are on my side!” You pout and he mirrors you, cocking his head to the side. “Aw, c’mon, am I that bad?” _

_ You bite your lip and deliberately look around, pressing your lips together into a thin smile until you look at Miles’ expression and can’t help but fall into laughter. “Oh no, I’m sorry, I was just kidding around!” _

_ Miles chortles, “I know, so was I! Oh, you’re precious,” he smiles wistfully at you and, once again with the impeccable timing, your friends’ drinks are presented in front of you. “Here, allow me!” Miles takes half of them and starts making his way in the general direction you had pointed in earlier. He soon walks back to you quickly and admits, “I have no idea which table you were actually sat at.” _

_ You giggle as you lead the way, pulling faces at your friends to will them into not totally freaking out. Miles lays the glasses out on the middle of the table and greets the group with, “Ladies.” He quickly hops to the empty seat and pulls it out for you - an oddly old-fashioned gesture, but sweet all the same. _

_ You thank him as you sit, “You wanna pull up a seat and join us?” _

_ “I would love to, but I don’t want to encroach on your time. I’ll probably be here all night though, so I’ll see you all again tonight, I’m sure of it!” Miles beams to everyone. _

_ Of course, the moment he’s out of earshot your friends lean so close to you their noses all practically touch yours as they insist on a play-by-play commentary of the conversation you just had. _

_ The night carries on and you try to focus on having a good time with your friends and not on the fact that your all-time favourite screenwriter is merely feet away. You’re sure you can feel his eyes on you every now and then, but you don’t want to seem too keen. Every time you do allow yourself to look over, however, you’re met with a wink, or a wave, or a smile, or a nod. _

_ He’s sat on a stool that just so happens to be between your table and the bathroom. He smiles and waves at your friends as they walk past him, but with you there’s often a one-liner attached like, “Making another excuse to come to my end?” to which you generally roll your eyes at, which he generally laughs at. _

_ Well into the night, a server brings your table a pitcher full of clear liquid and assures you it’s water, explaining, “The guy at the bar up there wanted me to give this to your table. Said you might need it soon.” You fill your glass up and look at Miles, who raises his own glass of water to you. You return the gesture before taking a sip. _

_ When the night finally gets the better of you, you and your friends gather together to pay your tab. Once you’ve shoved your change into the tip jar, your friends start to walk out, but a hand on your arm that soon slips down into yours pulls you back, and a familiar voice in your ear asks, “Leaving so soon?” _

_ You turn to look up at Miles, who is suddenly closer to you than ever before. You swallow hard and nod, “Busy day tomorrow!” _

_ “Sure is. What are you planning on seeing?” he asks. You tell him and he nods. “I’m sure I’ll see you, then!” _

_ “Oh! Wait!” you suddenly realise. “Could I just have one picture before I go? Please?” _

_ Miles nods, “Only if you promise to tweet it at me right away! I’ll be looking at my mentions until you do!” You both pose twice - the classic smiling photo that you automatically go for, and the silly one that Miles prompts. He offers his arms out and you hug him goodbye. His grip is tight enough to make you feel like someone he could WANT to hug, but soft enough to let you move whenever you wanted. You eventually do as you realise you will have to go back with your friends. “Don’t forget to send me them!” Miles calls out as you leave. _

_ Once again, the trip back to your hotel is half spent detailing everything to your friends. The other half is brushing them off as they ask you why you didn’t try and go back with him. You tell them calmly that you respect him too much as a person to be one of Those People that tries to bed him just because of his name. Because really, that’s all you know about him. Sure, he’s revealed stuff on numerous podcasts, but he’s not told  _ **_you_ ** _ those things directly. _

_ You tweet the pictures with the caption:  _ **_@DrunkMilesLuna I feel like sending them here is a little more appropriate. ;P_ **

_ He likes it before you can even exit the app, quickly following you. He DMs you asking you to let him know when you're back safe and you promise to do so as long as he does the same. You stay up long enough to see his “got to my hotel room!” message before finally letting yourself retire for the night. _

_ The following morning, Miles follows you on his main account, too. Throughout the convention, every moment that you and him aren't busy, you're texting each other. Your friends tease you but you shrug it off. They can't exactly say you're chasing Miles “multiple texts” Luna, especially when he sets your phone off constantly because you forgot to tell him you're about to watch a panel. _

_ You see a lot of incredible cosplays and costumes around the hall - and then there's Box Guy. Literally just a man wearing boxes on his arms, legs, body and head. You don't know who Box Guy is meant to represent or who is dressed as him or anything, but by far he is the most consistent person you see on the floor. You tend to just walk past him though, putting it down to sheer commitment to whatever he was dressed as to be appearing so frequently for everyone.  _

_ That is, until you're waiting for your friends in a quiet part of the convention center when you feel a tap in your shoulder. You yelp involuntarily and jump around, only to find Miles shushing you as he holds the box previously covering his face up. _

_ You cover your mouth until you're calm again and hiss, “So this is how you've been knowing what I'm up to!” _

_ He shrugs as best as he can with cardboard arms. “Well, I guess that’s me rumbled!” You giggle as he rests the box on the top of his head to show his face. _

_ “Can I get a picture with the elusive Box-Man then?” you ask with amusement. _

_ “Sure! But could I just ask that you don’t post it until after Sunday? That way I can still keep the whole disguise thing going,” he gestures down and his box slides back over his face. _

_ You push it back up for him and he smiles softly. Your insides do that somersaulting thing again. “Of course!” you chime, taking your phone out. _

_ You take a photo with both of you smiling and then automatically pull a face for the second one. He laughs, “Hey, you’re learning!” _

_ As you notice your friends emerging around the corner, you replace the box over his head and pat the top of it. “Go be the hero this convention needs, Box-Man!” you salute, laughing as he runs off (if you can call it that - it’s more hopping from one foot to the other) singing the original Batman theme but replacing the superhero’s name with the one you’d just adorned him with. You don’t tell your friends of his true identity until you’re safely back in the hotel room. _

_ It’s your second-to-last day in Austin. Technically your last, since you’ve got to be at the airport early the next morning to fly home, but you’re sat in an empty hotel room after having said goodbye to your friends and it feels like time without them is dragging at a tenth of the speed it did while you were with them. That doesn’t stop them from still trying to get you to ask Miles out while you still could.  _

_ You do toy with the idea, but you can’t bring yourself to do it. This is Miles! Miles Luna! From Rooster Teeth! He’s probably interacted with tens of thousands of people this weekend, just the same way as he had with you. You tweet:  _ **_Any recommendations for where to go for a last night in Austin?_ ** _ , hoping someone else who had been in town would know of somewhere you hadn’t been yet. _

_ You carry on packing in the meantime and when you next check your phone, you see a message from Miles,  _ **_Leaving so soon? Come to The Trophy Club on 6th!_ **

_ You grin as you type,  _ **_Alright, you’ve twisted my arm! Be there whenever I find it! So, knowing my navigation skills, next Thursday lol._ **

_ You search the directions - thankfully, Austin’s grid system actually makes it near impossible to get lost - and eventually get to a bar called The Trophy Room. You look around nervously, only seeing strange faces. Lots of familiar shirts, but not the faces. You check your phone and read another message from Miles,  _ **_Tell me when you’re here!_ **

_ You reply,  _ **_Here now! Just waiting at the bar._ ** _ You look around trying to find him but he sneaks up behind you, tapping your back excitedly. You smile widely, “Oh good, now I can start buying you the drinks I owe you!” _

_ Miles rasps, “Pfft, you don’t owe me anything!” You open your mouth to counter but he interjects before you can, “No, don’t even bother trying to bring up your friends’ drinks, that was a friendly gesture to all of you from me!”  _

_ You and Miles talk work, hometowns, family, hobbies, all that stuff. Thanks to a little blit of liquid confidence, you’re able to even add the occasional flirty response, which you can never get over. Soon enough, he excitedly leads you to an inflatable arena with a mechanical bull in the centre. You try and back out but Miles has your arm in his hands and a look on his face that could end world conflict. He bends down, not quite kneeling on the floor but certainly lower than you, negotiating, “I’ll go on with you!” _

_ “I don’t think that’s allowed,” you giggle. _

_ Miles scoffs, marching off to the operator, but he soon comes back with his tail between his legs. “Okay, so we can’t do that.” _

_ “No(!) Really?” you ask sarcastically. He merely shakes his head and turns to watch the tons of other people dumb enough to sit on a machine that’s almost guaranteed to throw you off. People bump into you as they get a closer look, or head to the operator. Miles soon pulls you close, keeping a hand on the small of your back. You look up at him and he turns slightly to wink at you in response. You’re fighting the wide smile that so badly wants to happen. You let it out a little when you feel his thumb slide up and down, though. _

_ He eventually squeezes where he’s holding and leans down to ask, “You wanna go get something to eat now?” _

_ You quickly check the time on your phone. “Oh god, yeah, I should not still be up at this time!” you comment as you bustle out of there. _

_ Miles laughs, “What’s wrong, Cinderella?” as he searches for a rideshare. _

_ “I have to fly back in the morning and I don’t want to,” you frown. _

_ “Aww, if it’s any consolation, I’m pretty bummed that you do, too!” He stops on the side of a street that isn’t shut off and you do the same, assuming that’s where he’s assigned the pickup point. He wraps his arm around your shoulders, and you rest your head against him. You both wait in comfortable silence, letting your alcohol high wind down. Miles guides you to the car once it pulls up and in no time at all, you’re outside a Whataburger.  _

_ You place your orders and find a booth to sit in. Miles, instead of sitting opposite you, chooses to sit in the same seat as you instead. You look round at him, ready to ask why he’s sat there but instead when he turns to you, you find yourselves kissing each other as though it’s an action you’ve been used to for months. You didn't feel yourself leaning in, nor do you feel he moved all that much either. There had been no longing looks, no awkwardly waiting for any sign of a ‘move’, you’re both just  _ **_kissing_ ** _ and it feels so  _ **_good_ ** _. There’s no desperate grabs of arms or hair or...Anything. It’s a sweet and simple kiss between the two of you that shows no sign of stopping and you’re on cloud nine right now. Well. No sign of stopping other than the impatient cashier calling your order number up.  _

_ You do feel a little bad - the poor staff here have probably seen a lot worse than two tipsy people making out in a booth, but it must get tiresome. When Miles returns with your orders, you eat and drink in relative silence, only really commenting on the food. When you’re done, Miles takes you by the hand and leads you out just to walk around the area as you sip at your drinks. _

_ Dim street lights and flickering hotel signs illuminate the path at your feet. You look down to watch your shadows dance on the concrete and see Miles’ hand slip into yours. You lean up to meet his gaze and once again you’re intertwined. This time, though, his hands are on your hips and yours are on his jaw. You never thought that the whole ‘kiss that slows down time’ thing was actually true but now here you’re stood feeling the days pass around you. _

_ When Miles pulls away he rests his forehead on yours, squints his eyes tightly shut and softly groans, “Fuck.” _

_ Panic and self-doubt fly through you, which you desperately try and mask in sarcasm, “Oh wow, am I that bad a kisser?!” _

_ “No! No, fuck, no, you’re a phenomenal kisser, god,” Miles answers hurriedly as he stands straight again. “No, just…” His eyes widen with realisation. “Where are you staying? I’ll make sure you get there and then I’ll explain.” _

_ A million scenarios are flying through your head right now and none of them are helping the actual situation right now. “Sure!” you chirp, telling him the hotel name and watching him type it into his rideshare app to make sure he’s got the right one. In the car, Miles asks if you’ve had a good time in Austin and you share some of your personal highlights with him as he plays with your hair. You want there to be some freak snowstorm or something so that the airport has to close down and you have to stay here for longer. You want that so badly. _

_ Once you’re stood outside the hotel doors, you ask, “So, what is it you had to explain?” _

_ “Right, right.” Miles takes a deep breath in. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but I figured this’d be the perfect time, because, well - if it just so happens that you don’t want to then I can just go and we can part ways and that’ll be fine, so I’ve got no reason to be scared, but - well, now I’m babbling,” Miles laughs nervously and his cheeks tint. It’s not the light pink, tipsy blush from earlier - this is vibrant red dusting his cheekbones. “Look, I really think you’re awesome. You’re beautiful, funny, witty, I mean you’re at RTX so clearly you got good taste,” you can’t help but laugh at that, “and. And you’re going now. You’re going so far away but I don’t want to stop seeing you, and talking to you, and kissing you. And it’s so strange because I never thought distance stuff would work but so many of my friends have proven that wrong and - well, if there’s seven billion people on the planet, who’s to say you’ll only find your someone within 15 minutes of you?” You stand there dumbstruck, fairly sure you’ve somehow entered a lucid dream. “If distance isn’t your thing, then I can respect that but otherwise… You wanna maybe give this a shot?” _

And that was how you ended up going from pining over Miles Luna to dating him in less than a week.

Miles’ biggest concern, however, is how the community will react to you. How they may misinterpret the way you met. How they may feel about a fan dating a content creator. Of course, the parts of the community you’ve interacted with are incredible, and you’re sure they would be welcoming. Miles, however, has experienced the trolls, the negativity. He doesn’t want to put too much pressure on your relationship when distance is already enough of a strain. He hasn’t even told his friends and colleagues about you, not fully. They undoubtedly know that he’s constantly messaging someone who he’s obviously crushing on, but that’s about it. Thankfully, Miles’ job allows him to use airline miles so whenever he can get a few days off in a row, he can fly over to see you without burning too much of a hole in his pocket. 

There’s only one problem that you have with the whole secret relationship thing. There are a  _ lot _ of people who are fond of Miles. A significant amount of them are vocal about that. On a good day, you feel quite proud - smug, even - about the fact that of all the people he could have, he’s dating you. Conversely, on a bad day, it makes you afraid. Some of these people are so much better than you, you tell yourself. They’re prettier, they’re more talented. They’re closer.

Today happens to be a very bad day. You go to Tumblr to check the “miles luna” tag - maybe someone’s made a gifset that’ll cheer you up. There’s a video of Miles talking on what looks like the newest episode of Always Open. You wonder why Miles never told you he was on this episode. Then you play the clip:

**Barbara** : Hmm, well, Miles, as our resident single man, do you want to weigh in on this?

**Miles** : [laughs nervously] Well, I don’t know about tha-

**Everyone** : [gasps]

**Mariel** : Could it be? Is Rooster Teeth’s most eligible bachelor  _ off the market _ ?

**Miles** : I didn’t say anything on that, I’m just saying it’s not relevant right now. Now, this person’s worried about coming into a new dating scene when moving between states. Honestly, I’d say that the little, like, differences from state to state, they are  _ such _ an easy topic and it’s always interesting to learn about. It helps you build a sense of, like,  _ oh, I’m so interested in this person that I wanna know what the place they call home is like. _ It’s intimate, y’know?

**Mica** : Okay, so Miles is crushin’ on someone who’s lived outside of Texas. Do they work here, by any chance? Are they here today? Could we be getting a confession of love right here on camera?!

**Miles** : I… [laughs nervously] Okay, this question is not about me, it’s about this person! 

**Mica** : The people wanna know, Miles! 

**Miles** : [sighs] The people know what I want them to know. I haven’t even told anyone here yet. I mean, you all must know about boundaries when you’re who we are.

**Barbara** : Yeah, I get that. It was legit so difficult keeping me and Aaron a secret. Even when we tried, there were still a couple of super sleuths who figured it out.

**Mariel** : That was kinda why me and Tyler did that little, like, announcement thing, to see how many people would say “I always knew!!!” and would go back to look for receipts and whatever, yeah. You do you, Miles. As long as you're happy.

The video is captioned with  **_Who is Miles getting the heart-eyes for?_ ** You know that the notes are gonna upset you. But that part of your brain that runs the self-deprecation is willing you to do it. You read through the list of names that people have added and your heart sinks. So many wonderful people named. And then there’s you, putting on your plain work uniform for the day.

You keep scrolling, maybe there’s still something that could change your mood. Instead there’s a selfie of an  _ insanely _ attractive person wearing a version of Jaune’s hoody that’s way too big for them but in the cute way and pulling an innocent look with the caption,  **_I know it’s not that time of year, but do you think if I asked nicely, Miles Luna would be my Valentine?_ **

If you thought your heart had sunk before, it’s dropped entirely out from your body now. Almost on cue, your phone buzzes, and your screen is instead filled with a picture Miles had insisted should represent  him - a picture of his delighted face as you kiss his cheek. You answer with a monotonous, “Hey.”

“Uh-oh. What is it this time?” Miles asks. “Who am I fighting, huh?”

You breathe an unamused laugh through your nose, “Me, actually.”

“Oh. Well, if it gets me closer to you!” he chimes and you can’t help but smile.

“You’re very sweet. But I shouldn’t have to rely on you to not feel like this!” you groan in frustration.

“Well, what’s your brain telling you today?” he asks.

“I don’t know if I’ll have time before I have to drive to work,” you frown.

“You’ve got time to walk! It’ll do you gooooood,” Miles sings, and you check your clock to see that you actually can walk to work today.

“I hate when you’re right,” you tease. “But then that means walking home too! And what if it’s a shitty day at work?”

“Don’t worry about that just yet,” he soothes. “Now c’mon, spill. What are you thinking?”

“Well…” you sigh. “It started out as a generic ‘today’s gonna be a bad day’ thought and then...No, it’s dumb,” you stop yourself as you head into the fresh air and onto your way to work.

“Nuh-uh, I refuse to believe that! Tell me. Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell meeeeee!” Miles insists, getting faster with every repetition.

“I can’t if you keep talking!” you laugh. “I...I saw a clip of Always Open. The one where -”

Miles lets out a long groan, overlapping you, “The one where they all wanted to know if I was seeing someone. That really ground my gears, I am so sorry about that.”

It’s fine, people are gonna be curious, I guess,” you comment, an air of sadness still present. In the name of honesty, you breathe in deeply and add, “although the amount of people guessing which employee it is you’ve ‘got heart-eyes for’ didn’t exactly inspire confidence either. And then it got really dumb, there was this, like, basically  _ model _ who posted a selfie a-and they posted it in your tag hoping you’d see it, and - fuck, never mind, I told you it’s dumb!”

“No, it’s not. I think it’s just a part of being so long-distance. I mean, I get crazy jealous of everyone who I see interacting with you.” You scoff but he continues, “No, it’s true! When you post little snippets of what’s happening at work, like -  _ I  _ know it’s dumb, because I  _ don’t  _ work with you so even if I was in the same place as you I wouldn’t have that exact experience with you, but...I dunno, I guess it’s more...When we hang out, I wanna get so much time in with you that we don’t get those natural little moments as often. And I worry that you’ll think what we have is too forced.”

You can’t believe for a moment that Miles of all people would be feeling jealous. “You don’t need to feel like that!” you reassure.

“And neither do you,” Miles’ tone is suddenly a lot softer. “I want  _ you _ . Only you. Not someone who feels the need to go out of their way to make me notice them. You did that the night we met with, like,  _ no _ effort.”

“Miles…” you mutter softly, affectionately.

“It’s true! Everything about that night was just so...Like, it all just felt right, you know? Like, every conversation could drop and pick up instantly without any awkwardness, and I wasn’t worried about whether or not to kiss you, like, that just  _ happened _ !”

A smirk forms as you point out, “Would you say it all happened...Naturally?”

“Alright. Alright, I see what you’ve done here. I guess it proves to both of us that there’s nothing to worry about, right?” he asks brightly.

You smile with relief. “Guess so. Man, why aren’t you here so I can kiss you? This is so frustrating.”

Miles laughs, “Don’t you worry, the wait will be over before you know it.”

You sigh, “It’s still not short enough.” You groan as your workplace comes into view. “Think it’s too late to ring in sick?”

Miles laughs, “Go on, it’ll make the time pass quicker! I’ll speak to you iiiiin eight hours and counting, got it?”

“Aye-aye, sir!” you joke.

“Y/N, please, save that kind of talk for behind closed doors!” Miles teases and you involuntarily squeak.

“Miles! You’re the worst!”

“Which is why I get to see you in such short, sweet doses, so you’re never sick of me!” he cheers.

“I never could be,” you simper. “Alright, about to enter the gates of hell. See you on the other side.”

“Aw, so nice of you visit me at home! Have fun at work, babe.”

“I’ll try,” you answer monotonously before chirping, “Bye!”

“See ya!” Miles signs off, which breaks your heart every time. He doesn’t realise he does it and he doesn’t mean to, but hearing him say he’ll see you, especially when you don’t know when you will get to.

Still, work goes as usual. You text Miles in between when you can, but he doesn’t reply. A small voice tells you he’s busy at work. A louder voice tells you that your insecurity has scared him off. You simply turn the radio up in the room you’re working in, trying to drown out the thoughts as much as you can.

You end up running just a bit behind schedule, but you’ve not got anything going on after your shift so you don’t rush. As you’re finishing off, another employee narrows their eyes at you. “Aren’t you gonna want to hurry? Your car won’t be out there forever!”

“Oh, it’s fine, I walked today!” you wave off, and they narrow their eyes before widening them again.

“Oh, no, I’m sorry! I’m not good with words today. Uh, the guy who comes and gets you sometimes. He’s here.” It feels like someone’s taken cotton wool balls and shoved them in your ears. Everything seems muffled in your excitement.  _ No way _ . You rush to finish everything, run over to clock out, run  _ back in _ because you forgot your purse and finally, you see him stood in the parking lot. 

He couldn’t be more stereotypically Miles in this moment. His favourite sunglasses perched on his nose, his trademark red flannel with the sleeves rolled up, his arms crossed over that Sonic shirt - which makes you laugh as you recall his constant comments that his co-workers seem to have the same outfits every week. He's leaning back against the car he always rents when he’s in town, one foot against the car door. He looks around, pursing his lips side to side before getting out his phone. You soon get a notification of a text,  **Hey, you! Still not heard back that you’ve finished work, everything alright?**

Deciding that you’ll have just a little bit of fun with him for still thinking he’s got the upper hand in the surprise games, you hide between two cars and try not to laugh too loudly as you reply,  **Oh my god, babe, it’s terrible, there’s been a huge fire in the parking lot and I can’t leave!**

Miles pulls a face at his phone, looking all around and then back at his screen,  **I can’t see any smoke anywhere?**

You have to cover your mouth several times to stifle your laughter when you type back,  **Yeah, there’s some guy who didn’t even tell anyone he’d be in town with his pants on fire!**

“Okay, in my defence!” Miles yells, and you finally let out the cackle of laughter that’s been bubbling inside you as you emerge from your hiding spot. “I didn’t  _ lie _ , I said the wait until we see each other again would be over before you know it. Well, wait over!” he sings as he holds his hands up to frame his face.

You wrap your arms around him to kiss him happily, though it’s more just grinning-with-your-lips-against-each-others than actual kissing. You hug him tightly, taking in the familiar feel of his shirt, his same smell, the safety of his embrace. “I have missed you so, so much,” you mumble into his shoulder.

“I’ve missed you too,” he nuzzles into your hair, kissing your head softly. “You wanna maybe get out of this parking lot now though?”

You laugh, “Yes, please, I don't care where we go or what I can stuff my face with, ju-”

“I've got a little idea of stuff I could do with your face,” Miles purrs and you squeal.

“Miles! I meant because I worked through my lunch break today! You're incorrigible.”

“I don't know the meaning of the word,” Miles says smugly, putting his fists on his hips.

In unison, both of you hover a hand around by the side of Miles’ head as you both quote at the same time, “He really doesn't.” Both of you burst into laughter until you're in the car all buckled up.

Your local burger joint is certainly no Whataburger, but it's close enough to be a nice little reminder of that night. As you eat, Miles asks about your shift and listens intently, complaining extravagantly about the customers you mention by giving them middle-aged women’s names. You laugh as you think back to who some of them actually were and imagine Miles being there telling them, “I never thought someone could be a cow, a chicken  _ and _ a female dog but you seem to be the whole damn farmyard, Brenda!”

Once you finish eating, Miles makes a chirping sound just completely out of nowhere. “Are you okay?” You ask with laughter.

“I promised Cole I'd send him a picture of us together!” Miles fishes for his phone and you're swamped with confusion.

“Y-you've told Cole?” You ask.

“Well, I know that we said this visit would be the one where we'd tell other people about us but I might have gotten a little excited and told a few people beforehand,” Miles admits bashfully.

“A few?” you ask, knowing how much “a little excited” can mean in Miles’ world.

“Cole, Kerry, Gray, Yssa, Austin, Broadcast, Kyle, Barbara, Mariel, Tyler, Jon, Blaine, Chris, Aaron, Josh -” Miles starts listing off names with his fingers and your eyes widen.

“That’s not a few!” you exclaim

“Well, I only  _ really _ told the Fan Service crew, Kyle, and Barb and Mariel,” Miles points out. “Everyone else just overheard. Though a lot of Animation probably heard me telling people there, and there’s probably been an entire email thread devoted to getting word around the office -” Miles notices you tensing up and takes your hand. “But I showed the people I told directly what you look like and they think you’re adorable, to which I simply concur,  _ Duh _ .”

You giggle, “You have such a way with words.”

“Right? I should totally be head writer for a 2D animation studio or something,” Miles grins.

You laugh, "You really should!" Miles holds up his phone with a hopeful, pleading smile. You give in, posing next to him by angling your face a little to the side and smiling into his shoulder. Miles beams from ear to ear as he takes the photo and then turns to face you, "I want one with all your face in! That's like, one of the best parts about you!"

"Really?" you raise your eyebrows at him.

"Yeah! That and your hair. And your body. And your arms, legs, personality, sense of humour, intelligence, taste in men..." You hit his arm and he laughs. "All very top-quality things about you!"

"Miles, you basically listed everything about me," you point out.

"Exactly!" he cheers and you shake your head at him before leaning close to him and smiling sweetly. He does the same and immediately goes to his camera roll to look back on it, cooing, "Aww, don't we look adorable!"

You cock your head as you admire the picture, "You have to send it to me before Cole, though!"

Miles laughs, "Of course, sweetie."

You buy your ingredients for the dinner you're now planning on making (Miles just wants to get a takeout and cuddle but you tell him that his arrival is special and worth celebrating, and cooking's way more fun when there's someone else to get frustrated at recipes with) and get back to your apartment.

It takes Miles a while to follow you in, but that's because he's baby-talking to the stray kitten that hangs out around your complex as it snakes around his legs, headbutting his ankles and purring so loudly you can hear it from inside the room.

However, as cute as the sight of Miles with the kitten you so badly want to take in may be, there's a reason you can't. You rush over to Miles and scoop the cat back up. "No, no, now I gotta get the vacuum out, oh, I'm sorry," you say to the cat as you stroke it just under the neck where you know it likes it best.

"What's wrong with the cat? Is someone just jealous that I was giving something else attention?" Miles puts on a mocking voice and you frown.

"No! My roommate's allergic to cat hair so we can't have the kitten inside. We can play with her out there as long as we let my roommate know so that there's no accidental exposure."

"Aww, alright then. Bye, new friend! See you soon! I think she likes me," he smiles proudly.

"She's probably seen you with me and thinks if she can pander to you, you'll let her in. Like you almost did," you point out before sighing. "I kinda want her to go to a good home, she deserves it, but also I don't wanna not get to see her all the time."

"Well," Miles pipes up, "remember that dog I found on that run I went on?" You nod, and he pulls up his messages, showing you a thread of dog pictures with his replies scattered throughout. "See? I get updates on her all the time! I can find you a good person for that little lady. What have you been calling her?"

Your whole face turns bright red. "Uh...Nothing, really," you lie, mumbling.

Miles, however, can read you like a book. "Nuh-uh, it's something!"

"Well...No, because you're going to take it the wrong way!" Miles presses his lips together and draw a cross over his heart. You sigh in defeat, "...I've been calling her Luna."

Miles clutches his heart, "Aw, you miss me so much that you named your animal companion similarly so that you still have a Luna around!"

"That is literally not my reasoning at all an- okay, fine, maybe a little, but also! She's fair and she has big, bright eyes, just like my favourite Ravenclaw," you simper before giving Miles a warning look.

Miles hisses through his teeth, "I wanna make a pun so, so badly."

"I know you do, which is why I'm giving you this look!" you explain and he giggles, sliding past you to put the grocery bags he's been holding down.

Once he does, he looks around, as though looking for an escape route. You know he's going to say it anyway, so you might as well let him say it now. Still, you can't help but laugh as Miles calls, "She's not the only Luna who can Lovegood!" as he makes a break for the bathroom. 

You let him hide out in there for a while as you start preparing for dinner. Miles eventually arises out sheepishly, walking up behind you and kissing your shoulder. "Can I do something to help?"

Leaning into his embrace with a smile, you offer, "Sure, you can break up the spaghetti so it fits in the pot."

"How much do I need?" he asks, heading over to where you gestured the pasta was.

"Uh, at least for us two and my roommate, if there's a few scraps left over we can just eat them later or tomorrow or something," you shrug. You literally resume the chopping of vegetables for less than a minute when you hear a loud shatter and look back over at Miles to see him breaking a giant bunch of spaghetti strands in his fists. You call out his name loudly, "That's way more than we need!"

He shrugs, "You said 'at  least 3 servings', as far as I can tell, this is more than enough for two people."

"It's more than enough for thirty, probably!" you laugh in disbelief as he salvages the unbroken strands and puts them back in their packet.

With Miles' continuing help you do make a decent meal, and you reassure him that you can use spaghetti in lots of creative ways for lots of different meals, there won't be any going to waste any time soon.

Once you've finished your meal and washed up, you both sit together on the couch watching some B-movie you've found while scrolling Netflix for ages. You rest your head on Miles' shoulder and he put a hand on your leg, lightly stroking your knee. You wrap your arms around him and he grins into your hair, pressing a kiss into it. When you look up, he leans down to kiss you, which you reciprocate happily. 

He shuffles around on the couch to move around enough to kiss you deeper, opening your mouth with his own and teasing your tongue with his. He moves you both so that he's on top of you, playing with your hair as he keeps kissing you intently. You grab handfuls of his shirt as you fight to get even closer to him and he slides one hand down to cup your breast gently. You whimper into his mouth and he presses his hips down gently, making you whine again. 

You feel the corners of his mouth turn upwards as he continues his motions, bending down to kiss your neck. He nips at the lobe of your ear gently as his grip on your breast tightens and you gasp, your back arching against him. Your hands move from his shirt to his hair and his move back to hold your face as he kisses you hard before breaking off to simply hover his face just above yours as he teases your hips with his own, varying his rhythms from slow and teasing to hard, fast and desperate and slowing back down again. 

You bite your lip in a moan as you try to grab at the bottom of his shirt and he tuts at you. "Tsk, we've got plenty of time for that! Can't a guy just make out with and dry-hump his girlfriend a little for the sake of it any more? Has this world come to nothing?" he teases dramatically and you laugh.

"You're such a dork, oh my god."

"Yeah, but I'm your dork," he cocks his head to grin at you. He leans up to your face and you expect him to kiss your nose, but instead feel the tip of his tongue lap it gently. When you furrow your brow at him, he merely shrugs and leans back to climb off your legs to swing them back over so that he can cuddle up next to you.

"You are the biggest tease, you know," you state.

Miles walks his fingers up and down the inside of your thigh gently. "I have no idea what you mean."

You simply side-eye him, "I'll remember this."

Miles smirks, "Oh, yeah? What are you gonna do?" You don't answer, instead opting to keep watching the film. He scoffs, "You weren't going to do anything, I know you." Again, you keep watching, though you try not to laugh or even react in any way. It's getting harder. "Oh my god but you would normally give in if I called you out like that, what are you thinking?" Miles gets up on his knees on the couch and rests his chin on his fists next to you, "Tell meeee!"

You simply shrug in silence, allowing a small smirk to play on your lips and Miles finally sighs in defeat, sitting normally on the couch again and resting his feet up on the coffee table. This time you curl up to him and he soon gives in, wrapping his arms around you tightly.

"So..." he starts. Uh-oh. "I've been thinking..."

"I thought I could smell burning," you pretend to fan him and he pulls a face at you.

"Ha-ha(!) No, seriously, though. I mean, getting to tell all my friends, getting to show them all, like, 'hey guys, look at my girlfriend!!' and them being all, 'whoa dude your girlfriend's way pretty!' and me getting to say 'I know right, what a reach!' I am going to stop you right there before you say something mean about yourself because this is how I think and it can't be changed, ok?" You nod silently and he continues, "Like, I wanna be able to say that to everyone. I mean, it's been a few months now, and we're still going pretty strong - or at least, I hope we are!"

"Of course we are, you nerd," you smile into his shirt as you cuddle up to his chest.

"Right, so...You think it's time we, y'know, told all the people?" Miles' words ring in your head. This is it. This is the one moment you've been most excited and fearful of. "That way, there's no more awkward 'ah stop talking to me like I'm single but also don't delve into my romantic life' situations on podcasts. If you're worried about people getting jealous and spiteful then just keep reminding yourself that I wouldn't want shit-all to do with someone who would treat the girl of my dreams that way," you both know you can't resist him calling you that, and he normally only calls you that when you're feeling low or when he wants something from you.

You take a moment to let the fact that you're about to go from being 'lowly member of the community' to 'Miles' girlfriend'. A title you love having but you're not so sure you want people knowing you for just that. However, if the alternative is just more and more of this secret jealousy for months on end... "Alright, let's do it!"

Miles takes a picture of you in his arms as he kisses your cheek and you beam widely, looking at him rather than the camera. He urges you to do the same for him, and you kiss his cheek as he poses for the photo with a closed-eye grin. He posts both pictures to Twitter with the caption, "Always a good time getting to see this beautiful lady. Feel like the luckiest boy every day I spend with her. <3" He tags you in it and sends it. Within moments, both of your phones go wild. People liking, retweeting, following you. You turn Twitter and email notifications off for a while but still a text comes through from your roommate:

**Roomie** : SO ALL THOSE TIMES YOU SPENT THE WEEKEND ‘HIBERNATING’

**You** : Yeah… I'd have to sneak Miles around the apartment. We weren't telling ANYONE at first! Didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. But it looks like he's sticking around. :)

**Roomie** : Well, I'm ridiculously happy for you and all, but just because he created one of my most favourite characters and just because he's dating you doesn't make him exempt from the no-feet-on-the-table rule.


End file.
